Volleyball icon Kim Yeon-koung sacrificing money for 'last remaining dream' at Olympics

South Korean volleyball great Kim Yeon-koung has won a slew of individual trophies and team championships, and made more money than she can spend. There's just one thing that's missing from her sparkling resume: an Olympic medal. And the 32-year-old outside hitter decided that returning to the South Korean V-League, after 11 years away, would be an important part of the preparation for next year's Tokyo Olympics -- so much so that she was willing to take a major pay cut just to have a chance t

More SportsJune 10, 2020

KBO's premier contact hitter embracing data to improve power

DAEGU -- Go down the list of slugging percentage leaders in South Korean baseball this season, and a surprising name will stick out in the No. 6 spot. Positioned among some burly power hitters is Lee Jung-hoo of the Kiwoom Heroes, who has never hit more than six home runs or slugged better than .477 in any of his three previous seasons. After 31 games in the 2020 Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) season, Lee already has five home runs and is slugging at a .618 clip. He has a higher slugging p

BaseballJune 10, 2020

American pitcher dedicates 1st KBO win to late father

BUSAN -- It took him three starts, and Lotte Giants' right-hander Adrian Sampson was finally able to dedicate his first South Korean win to his late father Tuesday night. Sampson scattered nine hits and allowed three earned runs in 6 2/3 innings against the Hanwha Eagles, helping the Giants to a 9-3 victory at Sajik Stadium in Busan, 450 kilometers southeast of Seoul. It was Sampson's third start in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), coming about a month after his father, David, succumbed

BaseballJune 10, 2020

World No. 1 in women's golf commits to S. Korean major

Ko Jin-young, world No. 1 in women's golf, will play in a South Korean major championship next week. The organizers of the 34th Kia Motors Korea Women's Open Golf Championship announced Tuesday that Ko has committed to the second major tournament of the Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) season. It will run from June 18-21 at Bears Best Cheongna Golf Club in Incheon, 40 kilometers west of Seoul. With the US LPGA Tour grounded during the coronavirus pandemic, Ko made her 2020 d

GolfJune 9, 2020

S. Korean U-19 men's football team to open training camp next week

The South Korean men's under-19 football team will open training camp next week in preparation for an upcoming continental tournament, becoming the first national football squad to work out during the coronavirus pandemic. The Korea Football Association (KFA) on Tuesday announced a 36-man camp roster for head coach Kim Jung-soo. Their camp will open next Monday at the National Football Center (NFC) in Paju, just north of Seoul, in Gyeonggi Province. They'll begin preliminary prep for the 2020

SoccerJune 9, 2020

KBO's career saves leader eligible to return from gambling suspension Tuesday

Oh Seung-hwan, the all-time saves leader in South Korean baseball, made his long-awaited return to home soil on Tuesday with one inning of relief work. Oh pitched a scoreless eighth inning for the Samsung Lions in their 5-3 loss to the Kiwoom Heroes at Daegu Samsung Lions Park in Daegu, 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul. It was Oh's first Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) appearance since Oct. 2, 2013, a span of 2,442 days. The 37-year-old right-hander pitched for the Lions from 2005 to 2013,

BaseballJune 9, 2020

Last-place KBO club demotes 10 players to minors

Mired in last place in South Korean baseball during a 14-game losing streak, the Hanwha Eagles have demoted 10 players to the minor league. The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) club made the drastic move Monday evening, a few hours after naming their minor league manager Choi Won-ho as the interim skipper. Former manager Han Yong-duk resigned Sunday night after the Eagles fell to the NC Dinos 8-2 for their 14th consecutive loss. Choi had earlier reshuffled his coaching staff. "I felt l

BaseballJune 9, 2020

Brazilian striker voted K League's top player for May

Ulsan Hyundai FC's Brazilian forward Junior has been voted the top player for the month of May in South Korean football. The Korea Professional Football League (K League) announced Monday that Junior beat out three other nominees for the season's first Player of the Month award. Junior led all scorers with five goals in four matches in May. He earned 30 percent of the vote from the K League's performance evaluation committee, which accounts for 60 percent of the award. In the fan voting, acco

SoccerJune 8, 2020

Grounded Eagles: How KBO's worst team has lost 14 straight

These Eagles clearly aren't flying free. The Hanwha Eagles have lost their past 14 straight games in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), and their manager Han Yong-duk resigned following the most recent defeat Sunday. Before Saturday's game, the Eagles relieved five coaches on Han's staff of their duties and replaced them with minor league instructors. Then after Han's departure, they reshuffled the staff while naming their minor league skipper Choi Won-ho as the interim manager Monday. L

BaseballJune 8, 2020

K League inks deals for overseas promotion

Korea Professional Football League said it has signed a contract with two European platforms specializing in soccer content -- 433 and COPA90 -- to promote its sporting events abroad. Based in the Netherlands, 433 posts minute-long video clips featuring soccer matches on its Instagram account, which is followed by more than 40 million users of the photo-sharing platform around the world. COPA90, founded in the UK, has 4 million subscribers and shares soccer clips that feature athletes and gam

SoccerJune 8, 2020

NC Dinos' ace Koo Chang-mo named KBO's top player for May

NC Dinos' starter Koo Chang-mo has been named South Korean baseball's top player for May. The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) announced Monday that Koo earned the first Player of the Month award for the 2020 season, after going 4-0 with a 0.51 ERA and 38 strikeouts in five starts during May. Koo tied Eric Jokisch of the Kiwoom Heroes for wins in May and led the league in ERA and strikeouts. This was Koo's first monthly player award in his five-year career. Koo earned 27 out of 30 votes cas

BaseballJune 8, 2020

KBO's Hanwha Eagles name interim manager during 14-game slide

Mired in a 14-game losing streak, South Korean baseball club Hanwha Eagles on Monday promoted their minor league skipper to their interim manager. The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) team said Choi Won-ho will take over from Han Yong-duk, who resigned Sunday following the Eagles' 14th straight loss. The Eagles are now 7-23, dead last in the 10-team league. This will be Choi's first managerial stint in the KBO. The former pitcher had served as a minor league pitching coach for the LG Twins a

BaseballJune 8, 2020

KBO club manager resigns after 14th straight loss

Hanwha Eagles' manager Han Yong-duk resigned from his post Sunday, moments after his Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) team lost its 14th consecutive game. The Eagles fell to the NC Dinos 8-2 at home in Daejeon, 160 kilometers south of Seoul, to tie their franchise mark for the longest losing slide. The worst losing skid in KBO history belongs to the now-defunct Sammi Superstars, which lost 18 in a row in 1985. The Eagles said Han told the team he would step down following Sunday's loss. T

BaseballJune 7, 2020

S. Korea's World Cup qualifier vs. N. Korea pushed to Nov.: source

A World Cup qualifying match between South Korea and North Korea that would have taken place this week has been moved to November, an industry source said Friday. According to the source, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) on Tuesday settled on new dates for the regional World Cup qualifiers that have been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. "Matches that were scheduled for March will be played in October, and those set for June will take place in November," the source sa

SoccerJune 5, 2020

Table tennis worlds in S. Korea postponed again due to coronavirus

The world's top table tennis tournament set to take place in South Korea this year has been postponed to early next year due to lingering concerns over the novel coronavirus. The organizing committee for the World Team Table Tennis Championships in Busan said Friday that following a request from the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF), it will look for new dates for the competition, which was scheduled to run from Sept. 27-Oct. 4. It was originally set for March 22-29 in the southeas

More SportsJune 5, 2020

After 2 wins, rookie KBO starter returns to minors to continue learning

After going 2-0 in his first two career starts in South Korea's top baseball league, Samsung Lions' left-hander Heo Yun-dong is headed back to the minors. And the 18-year-old Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) rookie is far from upset at the demotion, which, at first glance, may seem counterintuitive. Heo won both of his first two starts, including Wednesday against the LG Twins in Seoul. Why mess with success? "Whether it's my breaking ball command or fastball velocity, I still have so m

BaseballJune 4, 2020

4 clubs still searching for 1st win of K League season

Four matches into the 2020 K League 1 football season, four clubs are still looking for their first win. Daegu FC, Busan IPark, Incheon United and Gwangju FC occupy the last four places in the 12-team table. In addition to zeroes in the win column, these four are also united by their lack of firepower. Daegu and Busan have managed just two goals, while Incheon and Gwangju have found the back of the net just once each. At the other end, Busan, Incheon and Gwangju have each conceded five goals

SoccerJune 4, 2020

KBO slugger wishes fans were around to watch his 1st-place club

CHANGWON -- Having played more than 20 regular games before thousands of empty seats during the coronavirus pandemic, NC Dinos' designated hitter Na Sung-bum has grown accustomed to playing without fans. That does not mean Na does not miss them. With the Dinos having jumped out to the best record in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) at 19-6, Na feels fans in Changwon, 400 kilometers southeast of Seoul, are missing out. "It'd be great if fans were here to watch us win games," Na

BaseballJune 4, 2020

S. Korean baseball's minor league to adopt 'robot umpires' in Aug.

South Korean baseball's minor league will start using "robot umpires" in August, a league official said Thursday. The official with the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) said about 20 games in the Futures League will have the automated ball-strike system in place this season, and it will be used for the entire 2021 season. The KBO's top league may follow suit as early as 2022. Though the system is colloquially called the robot umpire, it doesn't involve any robots standing behind t

BaseballJune 4, 2020

Secret to success for KBO ace: empty mind

CHANGWON -- At the tender age of 23, NC Dinos' starter Koo Chang-mo may already have become the ultimate Zen master in South Korean baseball. He has figured out how to pitch with an empty mind, a state where he is clear of unnecessary thoughts and his focus is solely on his target. "When I am on the mound, I am not thinking of anything else but trying to hit the catcher's mitt," Koo told reporters Wednesday prior to a Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) regular season game versus the

BaseballJune 4, 2020